Don’t go by his last three seasons. Wayne Rooney is and will remain a Manchester United legend

In 2002, Clive Tyldesley uttered those iconic words: “Remember the name, Wayne Rooney”. Arsenal’s unbeaten 30-game unbeaten run had come to an end, courtesy a sizzling strike from a 16-year-old boy wonder named Wayne Rooney.

History has a way of repeating itself. On Thursday, an older, more mature Rooney took the field back at his beloved Everton and pulled off another stunning long-range stunner. The years may have passed by, but Rooney still remains worth remembering.

The 16-year-old Rooney who became the youngest goal scorer in Premier League history was always destined for greatness. And who better to make a legacy with than English football’s most decorated club – Manchester United.

It was almost too perfect a match. Wazza had every quality that a Red Devil was meant to possess; passion, power, aggression, confidence and most importantly, a hunger for greatness. The legendary status that Rooney has today with United is a result of selfless work.

Rooney has won everything there is to be won

This is a footballer who last season passed Sir Bobby Charlton’s mark to become United’s record scorer with 253 goals; a footballer who claimed five Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Europa League, the FA Cup, three League Cups, the FIFA Club World Cup, was twice PFA Young Footballer of the Year and voted the 2010 PFA and Football Writers’ Player of the Year; a footballer who arrived as the 18-year-old starlet who seemed set for glory and registered a debut hat-trick against Fenerbahce in September 2004; a footballer who opened his Premier League account by taking apart the “invincible” Arsenal of 2004; a footballer who seemingly had it all.

Dubbed by the Old Trafford faithful as the “White Pele”, it’s easy to say that that title was a gross misconception. But while that name is synonymous with magical football, Rooney was nothing of the sort. No, he was something else completely. Rooney was raw. There was a certainty in the way he played. Every time United got in control of the ball, he would run straight at the opposition and make some space to create a goalscoring opportunity.

Every time the ball got taken off United, he would run straight at the opposition and pressure them till the ball came back again. Stretford End would inch just that little bit closer to the edge of their seats to see the spectacle that is a fired up Wayne Rooney. The unpredictability he brought to the pitch was exhilaratingly beautiful.

After being voted the PFA “Young Player of the Season” in his first two seasons, he was part of United’s title-winning team in the following three. By that point, he had the maturity and mobility to play an important role for United in wide areas, sacrificing himself for the side so others would flourish. Individual accomplishments did not appear to be a priority for Wazza.

Shoulder to shoulder with the best

From a lethal Ruud van Nistelrooy, to a rampant Cristiano Ronaldo, all the way down to a seasoned Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rooney stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the best attacking giants to have ever worn the red of Manchester for over a dozen years. He not only broke records but managed to cooperate and aid in being the best striking partner a forward could only dream of. And even when he had to do it alone, Rooney did it exceedingly well. When Cristiano Ronaldo departed for Real Madrid, he did more than anyone to fill the void, embarking on the greatest goalscoring run of his career, scoring 26 goals in 24 games.

Rooney kept adapting with modern football and filled in any role that his team had to fill. One thing was clear though. He needed to be in the starting lineup. Sometimes he’d do it single-handedly, like in 2007 against AC Milan when he pulled off an outrageous comeback from 2-1 down to win the first leg 3-2 or in 2010 against Bayern Munich where he twisted his ankle in the first leg and was set to be out for two months. Much to everyone’s surprise, he started the second leg clearly pushing through a hard injury. Although United lost the tie 4-4 on away goals, his work-rate and desire to win saw him constantly at the back of opposition. Even if he wasn’t scoring goals, he brought other people into the game to do just that.

It wasn’t always peachy for Wazza though. He questioned United’s ambition when stating he wanted to leave in 2010, which he quickly apologised for while signing a new contract. But he accelerated discussions again in 2013, under David Moyes, this time to a fierce rival – Chelsea. He eventually stayed on to captain Moyes’ United side, but this saga somewhat tarnished his legacy. A sentiment that United fans would hold against him, if questioned whether he should be immortalised along with the Holy Trinity at Old Trafford.

The performances kept coming week-in week-out, but perhaps that is what made him wither out. Rooney peaked at the perfect time for United but a little too early for a regular footballer’s trajectory. But Rooney was no regular Joe. Not even in this case. Some ex-United coaches claim that Rooney matched Ronaldo by trait, and if he had chosen to work on his fitness regime, he would still be amongst the world’s finest today.

Don’t judge him by the last three years

It seems almost unjust that Rooney’s last three seasons are freshest in the memory of an average viewer, for it is a criminal understatement to judge his value to the team based on the recent past. He has won 16 major trophies.

Sure, his performances have declined over the last few seasons. Sure, he seems like a shadow of the player he was. Sure, he doesn’t have the body type you would expect for a professional athlete. Say what you want about the man, but Wayne Rooney doesn’t get sufficient credit for everything he gave United. The sheer level of his accomplishments is hard to fathom. He literally won every possible trophy there is to win, became United and England’s all-time top scorer. In other words, he beat the game with 100% completion.

He came to United a young boy, and the world watched him grow and develop into becoming one of the fiercest forwards the club has ever seen. Now he has departed a living legend. It’s almost painful to witness the end of an era, an era where loyal players seem to be a dying breed. Manchester United without Wayne Rooney is almost the same as Manchester United without Sir Alex Ferguson.

It’s quite fitting that he went back to his boyhood club Everton and a passing of the torch moment has happened in some way, with United getting Lukaku as a potential long term replacement. Rooney is irreplaceable for his presence. But he now has a new chapter left to fill for the Mersyside blues.

What of United then? Rooney’s still got the club ambassador role if he wants it – it was part of his last contract. United will gladly have him back. One can only dream…